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CHAPTER ONE
AS THE ELITE OF MANHATTAN sipped chane and whispered in hushed tones, Rafe Mancuso patted the Glock hidden beneath his tuxedo jacket Relaxed but alert, he strode through the roohbrod Still, the Lancaster Foundation was paying hieously priced jewels Instead, he was distracted by the woman who’d recruited him to work security, Sara Rios, his one-time partner at the NYPD
She walked through the double doors, and he couldn’t focus on anything else They’d had a unique connection, working together like a well-oiled ether led to an immediate friendship and an emotional intimacy Rafe had never experienced before
Not even with his fiancée
He and Sara had never acknowledged let alone acted on the feelings si between theht Sara had been a dangerous temptation back then, he was bloay now The woside him in a police unifor silver dress that hit tonedblond hair draped over her shoulders and full brsts he hadn’t known existed, Rafe couldn’t tear his gaze away
“Hey there, stranger! Long tireeted him with a wide smile
“Hey, yourself”
She leaned over and pressed a kiss on his cheek, her soft lips and sweet scent intoxicating hi him of why he’d switched shifts and broken up their partnership last year Rafe’s father had almost destroyed their family with an affair, and Rafe had sworn he would never follow in those footsteps To an engaged man, Sara presented a temptation that simply had to end Ironically, his relationship with his fiancée had i after, but as far as Rafe was concerned, breaking up the partnership was the s he’d ever done
Sara would never co less
“I’ood to see you” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear andwith pleasure
He sood to see you, too”
“You dress up nicely,” she said
His stare never left hers “I can honestly say the saht” He inclined his head toward the other side of the room, where the jeere on display
The Lancaster Foundation had insisted Rafe and Sara blend in and socialize, not crowd the items for sale As trained professionals, they’d have preferred to set the parauests to feel too intimidated to view the items up close
“An easy night is good,” Sara said “I’m supposed to lie low until I testify at a et any more low-key than this”
He laughed in agreement “I heard about your case Started as a routine B and E on Park Avenue, right?”
“That’s e thought Someone broke in and surprised the wife at hoh-priced iteo to the hospital and died in her sleep a few hours later” Sara shook her head at the senseless result